Previous literature lacks to understand the mechanism through which Machiavellianism positive relationship exists with performance. Using the tenets of social cognitive theory, we found good support for proposed hypotheses using multi-wave, multi-method (survey and experiment), and multi-sourced (self, peer, and manager-rated) data collected from 506 employees and 81 managers (rated employees’ narcissism) of 29 service-oriented companies in Pakistan. The study 1 (survey) results aligned with expectations, indicating a strong positive connection among Machiavellianism, self-efficacy, and job performance. Study 2 (experiment) reveals the strong causal effect of high Machiavellian tendencies on self-efficacy in self-efficacy-manipulated conditions. However, the results of the control condition challenge the expectations of Machiavelli’s self-efficacy. Experimental findings demonstrate that self-efficacy manipulation results in better performance for Machiavellians.

Index Terms- Machiavellianism, self-efficacy, performance, social cognitive theory